Are you the type of dog owner who likes to take your companion with you wherever you go? If you are then you know that that there are occasions when you can do this, but there are also times when you can not, for whatever reason.

On the occasions when that happens, you will often need to find a boarding kennels that will take care of your dog while you are away.

A vacation is a time for relaxing, so you do not want to be worrying about your dog, if you can help it. Within your own country, it is not usually a big problem, but if you go to a foreign land, then taking your dog can be more trouble than it is worth. Not only for you, but for your doggy friend as well.

If you can not board your dog with someone it knows, like a member of your family or a neighbour, then the only alternative is a boarding kennels.

I have put my dog in a bad kennel once and I learned a few lessons from that. I put my Becky in a kennel in a highly regarded village just outside our town. I was happy with what I saw and the patter of the owner, so I went to Spain, thinking that all was fine for both of us. I had a great holiday and went straight to the kennels from the airport on my return, although I had told them a fortnight before that I would pick Becky up the day after my arrival. I just could not wait to see her.

I went to the kennels and they were surprised to see me. Of course, I was a day early. They said that Becky was 'resting' and that it would be better to 'come back tomorrow'. No way! So they took me to see her. I nearly cried. She was sitting in a good sized cage, but on newspaper sodden with pee.

She saw me and just looked down at her paws. I called her name again, but she did not want to know. I paid the bill and put her in the car on the front passenger seat where she always sat. She just looked out the window and showed no interest in me whatsoever.

It took three days before she would speak to me again! The moral of this story is not to be impressed by big adverts or impressive locations as I was. Ask your dog-owning friends, write into the local paper inviting recommendations, phone the local animal protection society or the kennel club or look on the Internet.

If you are interested in Welsh corgi puppies, or Wales in general, go to our website at Welsh Products Online

Posted under Dogs

Nearly every family or social event includes the consumption of food and the drinking or drinks in the celebration. Consider Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings. In this article, I would like to speak about that centre piece of any wedding reception: the wedding cake.

The guests come to eat, drink and be merry and the bride's parents always put a great deal of effort into the preparation for the wedding reception. The wedding cake is the focal point of the top table and the whole reception in general. The wedding cake has traditional significance and it is usually thought bad luck not to have a slice of the wedding cake.

There are precise rules for the timing of the cutting of the wedding cake that have become part of tradition. For example, if the wedding reception takes place at lunch or dinner, it is traditional to cut the wedding cake just before the dessert is served.

However, if the reception is held in the late afternoon or early evening, the cake is served as soon as the guests arrive. In some traditions the bride and groom cut and eat the first slice together as a symbol of their vows to love, honour and obey each other. The remainder of the cake is generally cut by one of the helpers, like the maid of honour or a family member.

It can be quite hard to choose the wedding cake. Traditionally, people opt for a white cake with white icing for weddings, however nowadays, people are becoming more adventurous and are picking more exotic flavours and colours.

Some couples prefer to have a wedding cake which has different flavours on each layer. While white icing is still the overwhelming favourite, people do order other colours like pink and yellow. Chocolate and mocha are also prevalent. These days you can have what you like. It is your day, after all.

Everyone likes the wedding reception. It is the favourite part of the wedding ceremony and everyone looks forward to seeing the cake cut and sharing it with the bride and groom.

If you are considering becoming a cake decorator, you have a few choices to go about it. You could buy a book or a course or get a video in order to teach yourself how to decorate cakes from the plain to the ornate. You could also go to a night school class to learn the art or cake decoration.

Without a doubt, the very best way to learn cake decorating is to take a course. DVD's, videos, and books are all well and good, but you cannot talk to them or ask questions. If you take a class for three months or more you will learn more and get a deeper understanding of the art of cake decoration. You will learn how to put real feeling into the decoration of the cake and you will be able to translate the wedding couple's dreams into a cake that you and they can be proud of.

If you are interested in a Welsh gold wedding ring, or Wales in general, go to our website at Welsh Products Online

Posted under Dogs